Spreading Filth While Asleep
Question: I often bleed from my gums at night, and it is quite likely that I unknowingly spread filth about while I am asleep. What should I do about this?
Answer:
Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
Dear questioner,
Thank you for your important question.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Leave that which gives you doubt for that which does not give you doubt’ (Tirmidhi).
The default assumption is that filth is not spread, and that is only changed by being 100% certain that filth has been spread. As long as you do not see any blood, you can safely ignore the possibility that there is any blood on you or on your bedding.
The story goes that in the old streets of Damascus, a young man of purpose and overt religiosity once walked by a house, and just as he was passing by, an old lady threw some filthy water into the gutter not too far off from where he was. A tiny, insignificant splash of the water landed on his handsome robe, but he just ignored it and went on his merry way. Reminding himself of his piety, he thought that it would be prudent to go back and ask the old lady whether or not the water that she had just thrown out was pure (tahir/pak) or not.
Plucking up the courage, he walked back a few hundred yards and knocked on the old woman’s wooden fence. ‘I’m awfully sorry, ma’am,’ he asked the perturbed old woman, ‘but could I trouble you to tell me whether or not that water you just threw out was pure or not?’
The old lady smiled with a kind of mischievous yet motherly look on her face. ‘My child,’ replied the old woman, ‘it is your asking that made the water filthy.’
I pray this helps.
[Ustadh] Farid
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies, he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years he has developed a masterful ability to craft lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language
